What Are The Ideas Of The Amish On Elections

Have you ever wondered if the Amish vote in elections of any kind? I mean after all, the Amish that are born and live in the United States are Americans. Many times I've often wondered what the viewpoints of the Amish communities are on elections.  Are they big supporters of a certain political party, or do they even care? If you often wondered many of these questions like me, about Amish ideas on political dealings, this post will clear up some of those unanswered Amish questions... The Crockett Cooner is here again writing for The Amish of Ethridge. I've launched a campaign on voting in the Amish communities and this is what I've elected as the truth!!!    

Most people may have heard the old saying "the Amish don't pay taxes" I also thought this was true. But, I did a little research and found that the Amish do in fact pay taxes. Just like everyone else the Amish are responsible to pay sales taxes for goods they purchase. Also, the Amish do pay yearly income taxes and state taxes in the state in which they reside. Not to mention the Amish own large farms with many acres of land, that they have to pay property taxes on!!! 

Now there is one tax the Amish willingly do NOT pay into, and that is Social Security. The viewpoint of the Amish are quiet different than yours and mine when it comes to social security benefits in old age.  The Amish come from a system that is governed by their church and religious belfies. The bishops or "long beards" as they are commonly known, determine what is correct for their location or area of Amish families they govern and minister. Now don't be confused when the Amish work for a business that is not owned and operated by Amish families. They do and are required by federal law to pay social security taxes just like any other employee. 

You might be asking yourself how the Amish get away with out having to pay for taxes, such as social security tax or workers compensation in some cases. When many large businesses in Amish country that are owned and operated only by Amish people. In the Amish religion the Amish believe in two very simple ideas. You are born and then you die, and you must follow Gods word while alive. The Amish are referred to as "non-resistance" under state and federal laws, here is a quick link to describe in depth the definition. non-resistance This is where the law meets religious exemption, and the Amish believe that Social Security and Workers Compensation are not taxes rather they are insurance. In that belief system they are covered under law by their religious beliefs not to pay insurance, because in the Amish life style. You take care of family members that are old, sick or injured at home.

• Republican value in Amish: Amish believe in God, Country, and Family/Traditional values
• Republican value in Amish: Amish have a conservative life style
• Republican value in Amish: No interference from government and they support private business sector
• Democrat value in Amish: Life, Diversity, Happiness, Justice  
• Democrat value in Amish: People should work together for the good of all
• Democrat value in Amish: Majority Rule and Vote

Do The Amish Vote In Elections

Now on to the big question, do the Amish vote? In past elections such as the presidential election of 2016, the Dutch Amish from Pennsylvania casted their votes in record numbers. Most people do NOT know that larger numbers of the Amish community are starting to get more in politics. Usually the elections the Amish have been known to vote in before are smaller hometown elections. Now it seems that in past elections the Amish have voted more from a republican viewpoint. After all most of the Lancaster Pennsylvania Dutch voted for Donald Trump in the past presidential election... 

With All This Voting Are The Amish Patriotic, Do They Join The Military

Since the Amish have seemed to have had Republican values in the past, it made me wonder do the Amish join the Military? Most of the time you would belief that a person with values that include Family, God, and Country might want to do their patriotic duty and serve in the armed forces. This is not always the case with the Amish. Due to their belief in "non-resistance"  this prevision makes the Amish exempt for serving in the armed forces. But, saying the Amish do not "every" serve in the military is a very generalized false statement. Just because the Amish usually do NOT serve, does not mean that they never have played a part in military service before. A few Amish have been enlisted and served as military members. They preferer the term non-resistance over pacifist, meaning that they will uphold to the laws, but if need be can join the military or other branches of law enforcement.

"A personal story from the Cooner here, as a child I visited an Amish sawmill a few times with my father for lumber, we needed for a personal project. I found it quiet interesting when I learned that the Amish fellow that owned the sawmill was a veteran of the United States Army and had in fact served in the Vietnam War. My father that was also an Army veteran of the Vietnam conflict would talk with the Amish sawmill owner  about their experiences in the war."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Crockett Cooner

I wonder in the future for the Amish if we will see them more involved in politics. With so many qualities the Amish have from both the Democrats and Republican parties. I believe we may see more political involvement from the Amish in the future. Heck, who knows in years to come we might even see a member of  the Amish or an ex-Amish member run for political office. It would be very interesting to see what laws the Amish might challenge if they decided to run or what political platform they would run under. Knowing  the Amish have a strong religious background, if they ran for public office would they question the separation of church and state!!! 

For Us English People That Want to Ask An Amish Person Their Ideas On Politics

Now, I know that many of the viewers of this blog would and will, start up a conversation on political ideas with an Amish person, the next time you see an Amish person. I strongly urge you to check out the different Amish religious beliefs page on this website. So, you will be familiar with the connection of  different religious viewpoints with different Amish groups and how that directs a Amish persons ideas on different matters. But, after that if you just have to strike up a conversation on voting with the Amish. I have a list below to make sure you get started off correctly to ensure the Amish person or Amish community you are speaking with might even consider the idea of voting.  

The Order Of Ethics To Use When Trying To Start A Conversation On Politics, With An Amish Person 

1. Determine which religious Amish group you are speaking with. Many times location of the Amish communities in the country will determine which religious sector of Amish you will meet. Each Amish religious group has different views concerning voting. 
2.  Look for simple identifiers such as campaign signs, campaign stickers, and political support buttons around Amish communities, homes, farms, and buggies. It's usually a great indicator if that particular Amish community supports the idea of voting.  
3.  Notice the obvious first when approaching a Amish person to start a conversation on politics. How is the Amish person your communicating with on politics, dressed. Remember different religious groups of Amish will many times dress with different color clothing from one another, determined by their religious beliefs. In turn, different Amish religious beliefs will dictate that communities believes in casting their vote.

All good things must come to an end, and for this blog post, I've reached that point. I hope that this post has enlightened you and given you some new information of the Amish political viewpoints and how to find out if the Amish community in your area votes. Please feel free to check out our other websites and the other blog post here at the Amish of Ethridge. Make sure and leave us a review, we would love to hear you opinions on the Amish and political matter.  And don't forget to subscribe to our news letter. Lastly, if you are checking out the inner webs look for us at Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.  Thanks again and look forward to our new up and coming blog post.